Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Dog with recurring spinal cyst causing back leg weakness after surgery
By Devathasan, Dillon et al.·Published in Frontiers in veterinary science·2022·Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Case Report: Recurrence of an Extradural Spinal Epidermoid Cyst Following Surgical Excision in a Dog.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 4-year-old female spayed boxer was brought in after showing signs of weakness in her back legs and difficulty with balance for four months. An MRI showed a mass on her spine that was diagnosed as an epidermoid cyst, which was partially removed through surgery. While she initially recovered well, 28 months later, she returned with similar symptoms, and another MRI showed the cyst had grown back. She underwent a second surgery to remove the cyst again and, six months later, her condition had stabilized, although she still had some mild balance issues.
People also search for: dog back leg weakness · boxer spinal cyst surgery · dog balance problems treatment
Abstract
Congenital epidermoid cysts are slow-growing, mass lesions caused by the abnormal inclusion of neuroectodermal tissue within the developing central nervous system. Subtotal excision of epidermoid cysts increases the risk of early recurrence of clinical signs. A 4-year-old female spayed boxer was presented with a 4-month history of ambulatory paraparesis and proprioceptive ataxia. Neurological examination localized a T3-L3 myelopathy. MRI revealed a T1 iso- to hypointense, T2 and FLAIR hyperintense, rim-enhancing mass at the level of the T9-T10 vertebrae resulting in extradural compression of the spinal cord. This was histopathologically confirmed as an extradural epidermoid cyst following subtotal excision. MRI performed 2 months post-operatively revealed a significant decrease of the lesion volume. The dog was neurologically normal following the surgery however re-presented 28 months later with recurrence of clinical signs. A 28-month post-operative MRI revealed substantial enlargement of the epidermoid cyst. The dog was subsequently taken for repeat decompressive surgery. At 6 months from the repeat surgery, the dog was neurologically static with mild proprioceptive deficits. The case report highlights the clinical and MRI features of a recurrent extradural spinal epidermoid cyst treated by subtotal excision.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35498737/